Bill Belichick has another chance to flip the mood in Chapel Hill, and ESPN’s Bill Connelly sees a real opening for North Carolina to do it.
After UNC let a winnable game against Clemson slip away on Sept. 19, the spotlight only got harsher. The Tar Heels had a shot to force the kind of national attention that would have brought ESPN’s “College GameDay” to town for Notre Dame’s visit, but instead they dropped a 28-20 decision after a long weather delay and fell to 2-1. That loss also intensified the criticism around Belichick, who was already dealing with the noise from a 4-8 season in 2025 and the departures of general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
Now comes a chance for a far bigger statement. North Carolina hosts No. 3 Notre Dame on Saturday, and an upset would count as Belichick’s best win since the New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 14-10 in Week 13 of the 2021 NFL regular season.
Connelly’s case for UNC starts on defense. He believes the Tar Heels’ pass rush is the best Notre Dame has faced so far this season, and that matters because the Irish ground game has already shown some uneven stretches. If North Carolina can slow that rushing attack and force Notre Dame into more uncomfortable situations, the Tar Heels have a real shot to make things interesting.
That’s the catch, though: UNC has not exactly been stout against the run itself. TCU running back Jeremy Payne picked up 142 rushing yards against the Tar Heels, and Clemson piled up 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago.
And even if the defense holds up, North Carolina still has to find something on offense. Billy Edwards Jr. and the Tar Heels’ attack have not shown enough yet, and Notre Dame brings one of the country’s best secondaries into Chapel Hill.
If UNC is going to have a path here, it likely needs to run the ball efficiently first. At some point, though, Edwards will have to make a play.
That was part of the frustration in the Clemson loss, where UNC offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino seemed petrified to put the ball in his hands during crucial moments.
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UNC Suddenly Has A Billy Edwards Problem It Cant Ignore
The night at Notre Dame laid bare a few issues North Carolina can no longer treat as one-off problems. Billy Edwards was under constant pressure, the Tar Heels struggled to protect him, and early turnovers helped tilt the game before it ever settled in. With the rushing attack limited and the defense stretched, it was the kind of performance that can leave a coach sorting through more than one concern at once.
Bill Belichick pointed straight at the passing game and the offensive line afterward, and it was hard to argue with the diagnosis. The Tar Heels need cleaner pockets and a steadier start from their quarterback, but they also need the offense to give the defense some help after a night when both sides were exposed. What happened against a top-three opponent may end up looking less like a bad loss than a warning about what still has to be fixed. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Changed The Season Debate In A Way Fans Noticed
North Carolinas loss to Notre Dame still left room for a different kind of takeaway. The Tar Heels were beaten 37-26, but for long stretches they were more competitive with the third-ranked Irish than many expected, giving the game a very different feel than a routine blowout against a top-tier opponent.
For a team trying to steady its season, that matters. Even with the mistakes that surfaced along the way, this was the kind of showing that can change how the rest of the schedule is viewed, with the conversation shifting toward whether Carolina can still get to .500 and keep a bowl bid in reach. [Read more 🡒]
North Carolina Just Lost A Recruiting Battle Fans Were Watching
Jordan Page made his choice after taking official visits to both North Carolina and UConn, and the five-star wing has now given the edge to the Huskies. The 6-foot-5 standout from IMG Academy is ranked No. 10 overall in the 2027 class, which made this one of the more closely watched recruiting battles for Tar Heels fans looking to see how the program stacked up against another national power for an elite perimeter talent.
For North Carolina, the miss lands with extra weight because Page brings the kind of length and two-way profile that fits the modern game and would have been an appealing addition on the wing. The scouting read on him points to a player whose competitiveness meshes well with UConn's style, even as his offensive game still has room to grow, and that combination helped shape a recruitment the Tar Heels were in until the end. [Read more 🡒]